5 Scary IT Problems Faced by Dental Practices Blog Title Image

5 Scary IT Problems Faced by Dental Practices

It’s the spoOokiest day of the year, so here are five real-life nightmares we’ve seen dentists encounter prior to partnering with Digital Technology Partners.

Downtime

When it comes to the technology in your practice, even just a couple minutes of downtime can equate to missed phone calls from potential clients and altered perceptions of your practice by existing patients. As opposed to waiting until there is already an issue before seeking support, Managed Services through a trusted IT provider provide around-the-clock monitoring, managing, and problem solving for the IT systems within your practice under a service-level agreement. With the proactive approach Managed Services provides, you can spend less time worrying about your technology failing, as well as less time waiting on support when you’re down.

Cybercrime

Healthcare is one of the top two most highly targeted industries by cybercriminals, second only to finance, according to a 2017 study by Verizon Enterprise. Maintaining a secure network is paramount when protecting your practice’s data from detrimental viruses, spam, malware, and the like. Digital Technology Partners has a multifaceted security approach to ensure the security of our clients and their data, starting with enterprise-grade security software from the world’s leading cybersecurity company, Sophos.

Questionable Compliance

A significant part of maintaining compliance under HIPAA relies on your practice’s technology, which entails far more than simply checking “yes” down a row of generic compliance questions you found on the internet. You need at least one in-depth risk assessment annually to seek out and patch security flaws you may not even realize exist, and enlisting a trusted technology partner who specializes in HIPAA compliance and knows the law, is key.

Faulty Backups

Much like non-compliance, faulty backups can easily sneak up on you without a set of techie eyes watching. One of the most common issues we see is backups that aren’t regularly monitored by a real person. With a dedicated staff, monitoring of daily backups, and reliable tools in place, we ensure our clients’ data is safe and retrievable when access is needed. We also monitor for CPU RAM, disk space, and security vulnerabilties so all issues can be promptly corrected, and systems run optimally.

“In April this year, we came to work to find our entire office ruined by a fire. DTP came out the first day, assessed the damage, and had us back up and running with a new server and desktops. We are forever thankful to them for having our information safe, as well as being able to move us forward so quickly.”
Dr. Christine Scott, Dunwoody Pediatric Dentistry

Outdated Technology

All of your dental practice’s technology goes through a lifecycle, and every so often, replacing hardware and upgrading software is necessary. Hardware wears out, software compatibilities change, and operating systems, such as Windows 7, reach End of Life by Microsoft, deeming them non-compliant. Digital Technology Partners is available throughout the entire technology lifecycle, starting with new installs, ongoing maintenance and support, budgeting for replacements, testing compatibilities, and finally, as a resource for safely recycling exiting equipment.

Don’t be spooked by the IT in your dental practice. If any of the five issues above sound familiar, contact Digital Technology Partners at (770) 918-0075.